Art & Furnishings made from Vintage Reclaimed Wood and Found Objects

Wood Wall Art for Tobacco Building Loft

This large wall art piece was custom made for a loft in a converted tobacco building in Downtown Durham.

The body of the piece is comprised of a wide variety of salvaged wood pieces from my collection. I would say that 95% of the pieces are Durham salvaged, with the remainder coming from the country
around my shop- Efland, Hillsborough, Cedar Grove.

It measures 5′ x 5′ and is framed in 1920’s pine framing lumber salvaged in Watts, Durham and mounted onto a backer made of salvaged plywood from a workshop in Cedar Grove, NC.

The pieces of wood were prepared by cleaning with a bleach water solution where needed, and some light sanding. I do this to remove dirt, mold, and any loose paint or finishes. All of the colors and textures
of the pieces are the original finishes, simply lovingly cleaned up and buffed to reveal their lovely aged patina. The vast majority of the wood is from the pre-war era (Pre WWii). There is beadboard, flooring, siding, window and door trim, and parts of salvaged antique furniture

I cut the pieces to dimensions that fall into a Fibonacci sequence. Fibonacci was an Italian Renaissance mathematician who developed a mathematical formula that matches patterns found in nature,
in flowers, honeycombs, etc. Cutting the pieces this way makes them follow a pattern that’s pleasing to the eye, and “feels” good, even though at first glance they may appear to be randomly put together.

In assembling the piece I intended to mimic nature in an abstract way by starting at the bottom with the darker, heavier colors and gradually lightening the color spectrum as it nears the top.
Sort of an abstract landscape with earth at the bottom and sky at the top. Of course, I threw in some dark near the top and some light near the bottom so as not to get to “cute” with this idea.

Part of the intent of this piece was to add some warmth and color to the loft space and to counterbalance the weight and homogeneity of the brick. I am pleased with the way it turned out.